MILWAUKEE — In the middle of Milwaukee's Bronzeville neighborhood, ThriveOn King is a community hub focused on improving everyone's health.
Staci Young is part of the team that brought this vision of meeting the community's needs to life, including access to healthy food, connection, and early childhood care.
"There is truly not a day that I don't come in and stop and just look around," Young told TMJ4.
Early in the process, Young discovered a personal connection to the space while talking with her dad about the project.
"He said, 'Wait a minute, the building on King Drive, the department store?' I said, 'Yes, that's exactly where we're going to be.' He said, 'I worked in that building just before your mother and I got married.' So he worked here. He helped stock shelves," Young explained. "It's wonderful to kind of come full circle with that."
From teaching to research, Young holds many titles at the Medical College of Wisconsin, including senior associate dean of community engagement and professor of family and community medicine.
"My work is a bit of a mix. The research I do is helping to understand why we see differences in health outcomes across different groups," Young stated.
Watch: Milwaukee native focuses on improving community health and tackling disparities
Young's work cuts across several areas, such as cancer prevention, food insecurity, and the impact of violence, all aimed at helping others lead healthier lives.
"There's a lot of community care in Milwaukee that I think we should talk even more about than we currently do. People show up for each other when there's a challenge," Young said.
Young grew up in Milwaukee, where she studied economics at Marquette University and earned her PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Young explained that her parents moved to Milwaukee from the South in the 1950s, like many Black American families looking for work and educational opportunities.
Young is proud of her ties to the community.
"I'm thankful that I've had mentors at MCW who have allowed me to grow and helped nurture my path. It's not one that many people can claim," Young explained.
Young brings her lived experience to her students, as she understands the challenge of balancing work with maintaining grades and scholarships.
As she reflects on her journey, Young says it has always been about helping others.
"In the grand scheme of time and life, we're here for about a blip, really," Young said. "I feel I have a responsibility in my moment in time to help create a community that someone else can, at some point, benefit from."
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